Railway Network

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many miles of track have been added to the rail network in the last five years; and how much has been spent on improving and upgrading the rail network in that period.

Chris Mole: 24 miles of new two track high speed railway were built by London and Continental Railways for section 2 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link completed in 2007. The Channel Tunnel Rail Link was constructed as a public private partnership project with a 90-year concession and is not the direct responsibility of Network Rail.
	Otherwise, the amount of railway built each year is an operational matter for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. My hon. Friend should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his question.
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	Kings Place
	90 York Way
	London N1 9AG
	Spending on rail infrastructure is primarily the responsibility of Network Rail. Historic spending by the company is contained in the company's annual reports and accounts, which can be found on the Network Rail website at
	www.networkrail.co.uk
	Government spending on the railway in the past five years is set out in National Rail Trends which is published by the Office of Rail Regulation at
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.2026
	A copy is available in the Library of the House.

Grocery Trade: Competition

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Competition Commission on its proposed grocery supply code of practice.

Jim Fitzpatrick: My right hon. friend the Secretary of State has not discussed the proposed Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) with the Competition Commission.
	In its inquiry into the groceries market the Commission found that one of the features that adversely affected competition in the market was the exercise of buyer power by certain grocery retailers with respect to their suppliers of groceries, through the adoption of supply chain practices that transfer excessive risks and unexpected costs to those suppliers. The GSCOP is being introduced by the Competition Commission, which is an independent public body, in response to this finding.

Inheritance Tax

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account the Valuation Office Agency takes of the effect of flooding of the market in assessing the value of a property for the purposes of inheritance tax.

Stephen Timms: The value of a property for inheritance purposes is the price that it might reasonably be expected to fetch if sold on the open market, which will fully reflect the state of the market at that particular time.
	However section 160 of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984, contains specific provisions to ensure that the value of property within a large estate is not reduced on account of all the property being placed on the market at the same time.

Students: Loans

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money HM Revenue and Customs has deducted from individuals' salaries on behalf of the Student Loans Company in each of the last three years.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 7 July 2009
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) collect Student Loan repayments for Income Contingent Loans via PAYE and Self-Assessment (SA) on behalf of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills. The amount of Student Loan repayments reported to the Student Loans Company in each of the previous three years are:
	
		
			  Student loan repayments processed by tax year 
			  £ 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 PAYE 266,422,888 382,664,259 584,031,106 
			 SA 12,570,060 16,783,566 30,947,313 
			 Total 278,992,948 399,447,825 614,978,419 
		
	
	These amounts include some deductions for previous years which have been reported in the tax years above. In certain circumstances, the amounts due to HMRC are received after they have been reported. These repayments are included in the table.
	The amount of Student Loan repayments is increasing over time due to the increase in the number of graduates who have taken up Income Contingent Loans and have entered employment.

Valuation Office: Contracts

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 11 May 2009,  Official Report, column 542W, on the Valuation Office: ICT, for what purposes the Valuation Office Agency's Sprint contract was entered into; and what the terms are of that contract.

Stephen Timms: Sprint is a framework agreement contract awarded in 2005 by HMRC to Specialist Computer Centres plc. (SCC) and Dataserv CES Ltd. for the supply of information technology, telecommunications and audio visual and related supplies and services. The agency is a participating authority to that contract.

Valuation Office: Geographical Information System

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the scale is of the mapping data that will be held in the Valuation Office Agency's new Geographical Information System.

Stephen Timms: The geographical information system will use the Ordnance Survey standard MasterMap topography product.
	For cartographic representation, the scale of the mapping data within the geographical information system will range from 1:1250 to 1:250,000.

Better Regulation Unit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent on its Better Regulation Unit in each year since its inception.

Diana Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (and predecessor Departments) Better Regulation Unit (BRU) has been operating since 1997. The current annual cost of salaries and overheads is £132,296.
	Delivering value for money and better regulation are central to the work of the Department. The Department's BRU, which has never exceeded three members of staff since its inception in 1997, is part of a central corporate services function which ensures we gain maximum value for the taxpayer's money. Records separating the cost of different sections within the corporate services operation back to 1997 are not kept, but the total cost of the operation has been included in each year's Departmental Report.

Care Homes

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many residential places there are for children in  (a) local authority residential homes,  (b) foster homes,  (c) local authority secure accommodation and  (d) Home Office secure accommodation.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of places in local authority residential homes in part  (a) has been provided by Ofsted. There are 745 active local authority residential homes registered in England, consisting of boarding schools, children's homes, further education colleges and residential special schools, collectively offering a maximum of 9,235 registered places. Table A provides a breakdown of the maximum number of registered places according to their provision type.
	
		
			  Table A: Number of local authority residential homes in England (consisting of boarding schools, children's homes, further education colleges and residential special schools) as at 31 March 2009 
			  Provision Type  Number of providers  Maximum number of places( 1) 
			 Boarding School 26 2,550 
			 Children's Home 596 3,978 
			 Further Education College 11 591 
			 Residential Special School 112 2,116 
			 Total 745 9,235 
			 (1) The maximum number of registered places is calculated from figures held by Ofsted. Where this data is missing, the number of places has been estimated based on the national average for the provision type and sector at that point in time. Here there were 21 out of the 745 providers where places were estimated (2.8 per cent. of total places). Of these, 20 providers (378 places) were from Residential Special Schools (17.9 per cent. of RSS), with one provider (seven places) from a Children's Home (0.2 per cent. of CH). Where a provider's sector is unknown, the maximum number of places is estimated using only the national average for that provision type.  Note: All data has been extracted from the Regulatory Support Application (RSA) database taken on 1 of April 2009. 
		
	
	Information on the number of foster homes places in part  (b) is not held centrally by the Department.
	Information on the number of places approved in local authority secure children's homes, requested in part  (c) can be found in our publication 'Children Accommodated in Secure Children's Homes at 31 March 2008: England and Wales', which is available on the Department's website via the following link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000802/index.shtml
	At 31 March 2008, there were 340 approved places in the 19 secure children's homes open in England and Wales.
	Information on the number of places in Home Office secure accommodation in part  (d) has been provided by the Joint Youth Justice Unit and consists of 3,007 places in Young Offender Institutions and 301 places in Secure Training Centres.

Children: Sight Impaired

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the eye health of children under the age of 16 years of prolonged exposure to television and computer screens.

Diana Johnson: The Department has not made any assessment of the affect of prolonged exposure to television and computer schemes. However the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) do offer advice on the impact of computer screens or monitors (Visual Display Units) on eye health on their website:
	"Extensive research has found no evidence that VDUs can cause disease or permanent damage to eyes. But long spells of VDU work can lead to tired eyes and discomfort. Also, by giving your eyes more demanding tasks, it might make you aware of an eyesight problem you had not noticed before. You and your employer can help your eyes by ensuring your VDU is well positioned and properly adjusted, and that the workplace lighting is suitable. Ask for an eye test if you still think there is a problem."

Departmental Advisory Bodies, Tribunals and Corporations

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the  (a) most recent annual budget,  (b) purpose and  (c) staff complement is of each of his Department's (i) advisory bodies, (ii) tribunals and (iii) corporations.

Diana Johnson: The following answer outlines the  (a) most recent annual budget,  (b) purpose and  (c) staff complement of the each of the Department's (i) advisory bodies, (ii) tribunals and (iii) corporations.
	(i) Advisory Bodies
	 Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group
	 (a) Net annual budget is £0.04 million.
	 (b) The Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group is an advisory NDPB which monitors and advises Ministers on the Government's 10-year teenage pregnancy strategy to reduce teenage conceptions and improve support for teenage parents. It is funded through Teenage Pregnancy Programme.
	 (c) The body does not employ any staff.
	 Teachers' TV board of Governors
	 (a) Net annual budget is £0.14 million.
	 (b) The board acts as a high-powered advisory body that informs decisions taken by the Department. The board provides open accountability about the plans and performance of Teachers TV to the channel's audience, stakeholders and to the public. The board upholds the editorial independence of Teachers TV; ensures that the channel supplier adopts the best practices of a UK public service broadcaster; advises the Department on ways that Teachers TV could develop so that it best meets the need of its audience; approves the supplier's Statement of Content Policy; helps ensure the Teachers TV supplier is held accountable for the public funds it receives via an annual performance review; and acts as an ambassador for the service.
	  (c) The board is supported by one FTE employed by the Department.
	 Children's Plan Expert Group
	 (a) The group does not have a dedicated budget.
	 (b) There are three expert groups (ages 0-7, 8-13, and 14-19) whose remit will be to look at services and policies affecting children, young people and families and to make recommendations to the Secretary of State on how best to deliver his long-term objectives to:
	Improve the health and well-being of children and young people.
	Safeguard the young and vulnerable.
	Close the gap in educational achievement between those from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers.
	'Raise our game' on raising standards.
	Increase post-16 participation and attainment.
	Increase the number of children and young people on the path to success.
	 (c) The group does not employ any staff.
	 Information Standards Board
	 (a) Net annual budget of £0.74 million.
	 (b) The Information Standards Board (ISB) for education, skills and children's services in England is the system-wide authority for all information and data standards. Its mission is to facilitate information sharing across the system; agree information standards to aid frontline delivery; improve efficiency, reduce costs and minimise bureaucracy. The ISB is designated as an Internal Advisory Committee, but has ministerial authority to make recommendations and approve decisions on behalf of the system.
	 (c) The board does not employ staff directly. A part-time independent Chairman is appointed by the Ministers. A Secretariat of 0.75 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff is provided is provided by the Department. A Technical Support Service of 2.5 FTE is provided under contract.
	 Talent and Enterprise Taskforce
	 (a) The net annual budget is £4 million.
	 (b) The purpose of the Talent and Enterprise Taskforce is to promote the imperative of enabling everyone to discover, develop and apply their talents to fulfil their own aspirations and contribute to Britain's success in the new global economy. The Talent and Enterprise Taskforce is based in the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) but reports through to the cross-government Talent and Enterprise Committee.
	 (c) The taskforce currently employs 4.6 FTE.
	 National Council for Educational Excellence
	 (a) The net annual budget is £0.01 million.
	 (b) The National Council for Educational Excellence (NCEE) was set up to provide advice to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families about strategy and measures to achieve world-class education performance for all children and young people from birth to age 19. It published its recommendation in October 2008. Since then council members have been working on implementation. Council members act as advocates and champions to transform expectations and aspirations for the education system, and to rally the teaching professions, businesses, the third sector, universities and colleges, schools and parents to raise standards year on year.
	 (c) The council does not employ any staff however currently one FTE co-ordinates its activities.
	 National Young People's Advisory Group
	 (a) The net annual budget is £0.02 million.
	 (b) The purpose of the advisory group is to draw on the expertise of young people's panels across thee country to help consider issues relating to delivery of the Youth Opportunity and Youth Capital Funds.
	 (c) The advisory group employs one FTE for 10 days and one contractor for 10 days.
	 Children and Youth Board
	 (a) The annual budget is £0.2 million.
	 (b) The Children and Youth Board (CYB) was established in 2004 as part of the 'Every Child Matters' programme, where a commitment was made to enduring the participation of children and young people in shaping services that affect their lives. They provide advice to the Department on policies that affect them.
	 (c) The Children and Youth Board is managed by the National Children's Bureau (NCB) on the Department's behalf. The number of NCB staff involved in managing the CYB is three.
	 Young Muslims Advisory Group
	 (a) The annual budget is £0.25 million.
	 (b) The Young Muslims Advisory Group is a jointly funded project with CLG. The group was established in October 2008 to provide young Muslims in England a platform to directly engage with the Government on the issues affecting them, particularly the causes of violent extremism.
	 (c) OPM is the lead contractor of a consortium supporting CLG and DCSF managing the Young Muslims Advisory Group, with a dedicated project manager providing support throughout the two-year project. There is a seconded youth worker based in CLG who supports the 23 members of YMAG in meeting the aims and objectives of the group. Total number of staff therefore is two (however the group is made up of 23 young people between the ages of 17-25).
	 Child Safety Reference Group
	 (a) The group does not have a dedicated budget.
	 (b) The group was set up to provide advise and challenge the delivery of the improvements outlined in the PSA 13 Delivery Agreement; to provide a view on delivery based on experience at the frontline of service delivery; and to drive delivery through their organisations.
	 (c) The group consists of approximately 30 members.
	(ii) Tribunals
	Currently, the Department is not responsible for any tribunals.
	(iii) Corporations
	 General Teachers Council of England
	 (a) Net annual budget of £18.97 million.
	 (b) The General Teaching Council for England is the independent professional body for teaching in England. It works for children, through teachers, in the interests of the public. It is committed to making sure young people have the best possible standards of learning and achievement. It keeps a register of qualified teachers in England and sets out and enforces standards for the teaching profession in the interests of the public. It provides advice to Government and other agencies on important issues that affect the quality of teaching and learning. It works with teachers to make sure its advice is based on practical experience and reliable research. It brings together teachers and other partners with an interest in the education service, including parents, governors and employers.
	 (c) The staff complement is 206.

Health Education: Sex

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what factors his Department took into account when determining the age at which sex education becomes compulsory for children.

Diana Johnson: Only certain aspects of sex and relationships education, mainly the biological ones, are compulsory for all children in certain age groups. These are taught as part of the National Science Curriculum. Primary school children in Key Stages 1 and 2 are taught about reproduction, puberty and how a baby is born. In addition we expect schools to have a programme on sex and relationship education (SRE) that is delivered through well planned and non statutory Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE). We make it clear in our Sex and Relationship Education Guidance (July 2000) to schools that any programme of study must be tailored to the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the children. In early primary schools, SRE should focus on relationships such as friendship, bullying and the building of self-esteem.
	We have announced our intention to make SRE compulsory as part of statutory PSHE, subject to the results of a consultation which the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority is currently conducting. If this were to become statutory, schools will be required to provide a comprehensive programme covering both the biological and relationship aspects of SRE.
	This will ensure that as well as receiving factual information, children and young people will have the opportunities to develop the skills they need to deal with the real life situations they face.

Pre-school Education: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much of his Department's £2.4 billion unspent capital funding at the end of the financial year 2008-09 referred to in the National Audit Office's report on financial management in his Department, HC 267, Session 2008-09, had been earmarked for early years capital programmes; for which such programmes such funding was earmarked; and whether that unspent funding will be carried over into future years.

Diana Johnson: The cumulative amount of the Department's unspent capital funding as at the end of the 2008-09 financial year relating to Early Years capital programmes is £363 million.
	The Programmes that this affects is the delivery of Sure Start Children Centres, Early Years provision and Childcare.
	Unspent capital funding from prior financial years as well as 2008-09, is added to the Department's end of year flexibility (EYF).

Schools: Admissions

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many school places there are in  (a) Castle Point,  (b) Thurrock,  (c) Southend and  (d) Essex.

Diana Johnson: holding answer 7 July 2009
	The Department collects information annually from each local authority on the capacity of all maintained mainstream schools, as part of the Surplus Places Survey. The most recent data available relates to the position at January 2008. The following table shows the overall capacity of schools within the constituency of Castle Point and the authorities of Thurrock, Southend and Essex.
	
		
			  Area  Primary school capacity  Secondary school capacity 
			 Castle Point 6,839 7,098 
			 Thurrock 14,996 8,124 
			 Southend 14,121 13,158 
			 Essex 115,979 96,960

Council Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 30 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 7-10WS, on housing, on what date he plans to publish his Department's consultation document on the reform of the council housing finance system; and when he expects the consultation exercise to be completed.

Ian Austin: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing (John Healey) intends to publish the consultation document before the summer recess. The consultation period will be for a minimum of 12 weeks in accordance with the Government's Code of Practice on Consultation.

Eco-towns: Construction

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his estimated timetable is for the construction of each eco-town.

John Healey: As we have previously announced, our aim is to see exemplar Ecotown projects underway in the next couple of years and up to 10 eco-towns under development by 2020.

Homelessness

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were classified by local authorities as intentionally homeless in each of the last 10 years.

Ian Austin: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level.
	Data collected includes the number of decisions on applications from households eligible for assistance, who were found by local authorities to be in a priority need category but had become homeless intentionally. Information is not held centrally on the overall number of intentionally homeless households.
	The number of households found to be intentionally homeless and in priority need, in each of the past 10 years, is published in table 1 of the Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, available on the web and in the Library at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1251698.xls

Local Government: Reorganisation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will withdraw plans for unitary local government restructuring in Norfolk, Suffolk and Devon.

Rosie Winterton: As my right hon. Friend, the right hon. Member for Wentworth (John Healey) told the House on 24 February 2009,  Official Report, column 22-24WH, if appropriate unitary structures are identified they have the potential to offer real benefits for the residents of Devon, Norfolk and Suffolk by delivering better services, improved efficiency, stronger strategic leadership and genuine engagement and empowerment of local communities.
	There is strong evidence that the nine new unitary authorities established on 1 April 2009 are already delivering such benefits, and we will therefore carefully consider any advice from the Boundary Committee, which we have requested by 15 July 2009, and intend to take our statutory decisions as to whether to implement any unitary proposals for these three county areas as soon as practicable.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households have received financial support under the  (a) Mortgage Rescue Scheme and  (b) Mortgage Homeowners Support Scheme.

John Healey: The mortgage rescue scheme has been operational across England since January 2009. As part of the monitoring arrangements for the scheme, headline data for January to May 2009, provided by local authorities operating the scheme and broken down by Government office region, are available on the Department's website. The figures can be assessed using the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/mortgagerescuestatistics
	The aim of homeowners mortgage support is to prevent repossessions, where households suffer a temporary income shock. The Government have published an impact assessment, which estimates how many borrowers, at UK level, could be eligible. Official figures on the number of households entering the scheme will be published later this year.
	In the current economic conditions, we have acted rapidly to put in place help and support for households struggling with their mortgage at every stage: from free debt advice when problems start, to free support for cases that reach court. Advice is available to all households struggling with their mortgage, with targeted schemes for those in most need.

National Policy Statements

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable has been set for the publication of  (a) draft and  (b) final national policy statements.

John Healey: The Department for Communities and Local Government published on its website on 27 January, a Route Map for implementation of the Infrastructure Planning Commission regime, including the current timetable for preparation of national policy statements which are the responsibility of the lead Departments concerned. Copies are available in the House Library.
	We confirmed in the Route Map that we would discuss the appropriate lead in time for the commencement of the new regime with potential promoters, industry and other interested organisations, and then update it to reflect that process.

North East Regional Assembly: Sovereign Strategy

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent payments the North East Regional Assembly and its successor have made to Sovereign Strategy in each of the last three years; and for what purposes.

Rosie Winterton: The Association of North East Councils (ANEC) have checked their records and confirmed that no payments have been made to Sovereign Strategy in any of the last three years from either the North East assembly or themselves.

Valuation Office: Local Government

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether information derived from  (a) building control and  (b) planning departments is transferred to the Valuation Office Agency from local authorities using the Valuebill electronic interface.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Wentworth (John Healey) to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 1 May 2008,  Official Report, column 672W.